The Iranian Puzzle Piece: Understanding Iran in the Global Context

This book contains the collected work from The Iranian Puzzle Piece Understanding Iran in the Global Context. This one-day international symposium, held at Marine Corps University MCU, was cohosted by MCU and the Marine Corps University Foundation and was coordinated by the Marine Corps Universitys Middle East Studies MES that was established in 2007. The Islamic Republic of Iran, birthed from the legendary Persian Empire, remains the complex blend of fact and narrative described by Benjamin in 1902. It is this complexity that shapes Iranian national identity, policies, and strategies and defines its relations with others. The web of fact and fiction history and legend reality and perception bodes well for poetry, but it presents a challenge for political decision making in an international arena where waters are already muddied. A symposium at Marine Corps University, The Iranian Puzzle Piece Understanding Iran in the Global Context, held in September 2008, sought to clarify the waters--to examine the puzzle piece labeled Iran and understand how it fits into the larger, global puzzle. Out of that symposium came these papers, which provide insight into the multifaceted nature of Iran and its regime, examine the feasibility and possible outcomes of official engagement of the regime, and discuss the domestic, regional, and international implications of Irans nuclear ambitions.